Why Arsene Wenger must buy now, buy big and wave bye-bye to his tightwad Arsenal transfer policy
SunSport highlights 12 summer targets who have turned the Gunners down, stayed put or decided to go elsewhere
Sponsored by
THE boos rang out at The Emirates after just 30 minutes of the new season...same old Arsenal, same old Arsene Wenger, same old story.
In the end a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool mirrored the opening day of 2015/16 when the Gunners lost 2-0 to West Ham...also at home.
Twelve months ago Wenger forked out £10million for keeper Petr Cech from Chelsea; this time he's invested £35m in midfielder Granit Xhaka from Borussia Moenchengladbach.
But that's about it - and he didn't even start Swiss international Xhaka against Liverpool.
No wonder the fans are already in uproar. They didn't leave Wenger alone last season over his lack of signings and it will be the same this time.
Last May the Gunners manager waved to supporters from the centre of the pitch thanking them for their patience - but how long will they swallow his tightwad approach now?
For you can almost name an entire team comprising of the players Wenger has reportedly been interested in this summer.
And here SunSport highlights those transfer targets that have failed to materialise...
Wenger has obvious problems at the centre of his defence with Per Mertesacker's knee injury expected to keep him out until January.
But Swansea's Ashley Williams signed for Everton for £12m and Wenger has failed to follow up interest in Lyon's Rachid Ghezzal and Valencia centre half Shkodran Mustafi.
A mountain of midfield targets have also emerged - but Sadio Mane signed for Liverpool, Riyad Mahrez is still at Leicester and Moussa Sissoko at Newcastle.
Up front the need for a top class striker remains: Olivier Giroud will doubtless score 20 goals but will he, or Theo Walcott, find the net when it really matters in top Premier League showdowns and on crucial Champions League nights?
Related Stories
And so the names of Aleksandre Lacazette (Lyon), Gonzalo Higuain, the £75m man who joined Juventus from Napoli, and Wolsburg's Julian Draxler spring to mind.
So, too, do Vincent Janssen, who joined north London rivals Tottenham from AZ Alkmaar for £17m, Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, Manchester United new boy
Michy Batshuayi and Inter Milan star Mauro Icardi.
That's a cool 13 hot targets linked with Arsenal - but none of them have signed.
Arsenal allies Thierry Henry and Ian Wright have urged Wenger to get the cheque book out, while ex-Liverpool boss and Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness urges the Frenchman to relieve the pressure on himself and the club by spending big before the transfer window shuts.
Souness said: “He [Wenger] has got to face reality, his team isn’t good enough and in certain areas he has to strengthen.
“To do that he has to accept, like Fergie used to accept, like Abramovich and Manchester City accept, that there is a premium to pay today for players if you’re a big club in the Premier League."
It remains to be seen if Wenger will accept his side’s shortcomings and spend money in the next fortnight.
His team does not need a complete overhaul by any means, just one or two big signings to add in the key areas, especially at centre back and centre forward.